Acting & Theatre

Sister Act is my favorite high school production! I played Joey, one of the gangster henchmen. He's a little on the psychotic side, but it doesn't stop him from thinking he is the epitome of a ladies' man. This role definitely pushed my comfort level while acting. You see, I had never played a character with complete confidence in himself with the ladies -- being a typical awkward sophomore, myself. This role really taught me the importance of "fake it till you make it." Despite the uncomfortableness,  I learned I can play characters who are quite different from the real Ryan. Playing Joey also taught me that I can kill in leather pants.

Mary Poppins is truly timeless. I played Bert, the charming chim-chimny chimney sweep. The best friend of Mary Poppins, he helps to look after the children, albeit from the background. Bert was my first role as a genuine good guy and trusted sidekick. Bert embodies joyful optimism and playful imagination. With a twinkle in his eye and his heels, he has his own magic, too.  In this role, I had to sing, speak, and dance with levity and smoothness unlike many of my prior roles where I tended to play characters with more of an edge.

Honk was my first high school production. Based on the fable of The Ugly Duckling, the selection of Honk was controversial. Coming off the musical high of West Side Story the prior year, the older students of Cambridge Rindge and Latin were not psyched for Honk and many decided not to participate. I ended up being cast as Cat, the lead villain, as a newbie freshman. I was thrilled! Cat is a constantly hungry, comically psychotic, and downright fun character to play. Through my dancing and singing, I tried to blend the agility of a cat with the zaniness and slyness reminiscent of cartoon villains of Looney Toons fame. This experience was the perfect way for me to start high school, with new friends and many fond memories.

Shrek needs little introduction. Based on the classic family movie, the musical version does not disappoint. I played Lord Farquaad, the tallest man in the world (self-proclaimed). This was my first time playing a comedic villain where I was challenged to balance Farquaad's absurd man-childness with his villainy. If you go too far with his comedic attributes, the audience may not take him seriously as the main bad guy. But, play too much the villain, and you may no longer be able to get laughs from the audience that gives this character his appeal. If that didn't sound hard enough, try acting, singing, and dancing on your knees for all of your scenes!

This was my first main stage production and where I discovered my love of musical theatre. I played the lead role of J. Pierpont Finch, a young ambitious worker whose plan to climb the business ladder lies within a book. Finch is a great comedic character to play, ambitious yet likable, with many moments of physical humor and dance improvisation. I loved every aspect of it -- singing, dancing, acting, and all the hours of rehearsal with new friends.  I was on the younger side of the cast and learned a lot from the older players. The generosity of spirit among the cast is one of my favorite things about being in a musical theatre production.

I applied to the Tisch Summer High School Program my sophomore year. I was drawn to the Experimental Theater Wing because it focused on training students to make their own creative works in all aspects of musical theatre: composing, choreographing, writing, etc.  I was really excited to spend a month at NYU, live in New York, and hang out and learn from talented peers and NYU teachers. Then the pandemic struck and the program was made virtual. I was disappointed to not be in NYC, but  I resolved to make the best of the situation. In the end, I had a lot of fun, made new friends, and was exposed to many new lines of thought, training methods, and approaches to acting.